The Guardians Elemental
by Furuba99SSBB
Summary: The Wilsons, also called the Elemental Guardians, have a curse just like the Sohmas, though it runs much deeper in their family. What happens when they befriend the Sohmas and Tohru Honda? ***UPDATED*** Chapter 5 is up! :D Please R&R--1st fanfic!
1. A New Life

OK, so here's my first fan-fiction! Please review and tell me what you think. Oh yes...I wanted to set them in middle school just because. And Yuki's character will probably a little OOC in this chapter, so I'm sorry! Please forgive me. Anyway, wonder what you guys will think about Julie and her 'black' side, eh? ;) Yes, the Elementals have dark sides just like the Zodiac members.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Furuba, unfortunately, and never will. However, my original characters are my own property.**

*

There were three new girls at school. It was as if they'd suddenly dropped out of nowhere, and had arbitrarily decided to go to this middle school. Yes...where Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru also went.

Faith Alexandria Wilson was very kind and shy normally--but when with her two best friends, the other two new girls, she was extremely outgoing. Then there was Marie Wilson, a mysterious girl who wore only black. She had black everything--black clothes, black hair, black nails, black eyeshadow, you name it. And finally, Julie Taylor Wilson. She was different in some unknown way as of yet. But everyone noticed her sometimes light-less eyes, her toughness of manner, and especially her fierce protection of her best friends.

When the new trio of students joined halfway through the year, they were assigned to class 3-D, where Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru also were. But that first morning...

* * *

"Ah...what a nice, peaceful morning!" Faith exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she skipped up the path leading to school.

Marie smiled. "Yes, it is, isn't it?"

"That's right," Julie replied. "I can't believe we've finally found the right school, where all three of us can be together all the time!"

"How did you work that out, Julie?" Faith asked.

"Ha ha! You'll see soon enough, Faith," Julie answered, chuckling.

Suddenly, all three girls were shoved to the side as a blur of orange sped past them.

"Hey, you idiot! Watch where you're going!" Julie exclaimed, shaking her fist at the disappearing orange-haired teen.

"Please, excuse Kyo's rude behavior. Hello, girls, I'm Yuki Sohma."

The three girls turned and saw the most handsome, delicate boy ever. His voice was soft and calming, and his eyes seemed to welcome them to the area.

"Uh, hi. Pleased to meet you, Sohma-kun. I'm Julie--Julie Wilson," she said, shaking hands with the surprisingly gray-haired teen.

"Yes...it's nice to meet you, Yuki Sohma. I am Marie Wilson." Marie also shook hands with Yuki, noting his unease at her goth-like appearance.

"Uh, um, hello! I-I'm Faith Alexandria Wilson. It's a pleasure to meet you," she introduced herself, bowing to him the formal Japanese way.

Abruptly, a new girl, with long brown hair and kind eyes, came up the path. Noticing the three newcomers, she also bowed and gave her name. "Ah! I'm Tohru Honda. How nice to meet you! Oh! Are you three going to our school?" Tohru asked, eyes shining in anticipation as she danced around on the sidewalk.

"Uh, I guess. It's the school about one block away from here, right?" Julie looked from Yuki to Tohru.

"Yes, that's right. So since we're all going to the same school, will you three join Honda-san and I?"

To make a long story short, the three cousins walked with Tohru and Yuki to school, then everyone dispersed to their lockers. Coincidentally, Julie, Marie, and Faith's lockers were all right next to each other. Once Julie and Marie were done getting their stuff out, they helped Faith with her stuff.

"Um, er, you two can go to class without me," Faith said while closing her locker. "I just have to use the restroom real quick."

The instant she came out the ladies' room, a group of four other eighth-grade girls cornered her.

"So, you're the new girl, eh?" the leader sneered, stepping forward until her face was inches away from Faith's.

"Actually, one of _three_ new girls," Faith quietly replied, looking down at the floor.

"Hmph! Even worse. Girls, state her crime and force her to admit that she acted wrongfully!" The other three girls immediately responded to their leader's command, marching forward until the whole gang of four girls surrounded poor Faith, trembling on the inside but standing proud and strong on the outside.

"You have come into close contact with the Royal Prince Yuki Sohma-kun," they said, like robots following its mother-board's instructions. "Although you are new at this school, you will soon learn the rules of the Prince Yuki Sohma-kun Fan Club. Now explain to us why you happened to be walking with the Royal Prince Yuki Sohma-kun. _**Or else**_." Suddenly, all four girls' eyes shone brightly as they stepped closer to Faith, inching forward slowly.

"Uh, er, it was just a coincidence! He was the one who invited Marie, Julie, and I to walk with him and Honda-san! Besides, don't you think you're...over-reacting...?" Faith noticed that their eyes only shone brighter as they growled, "Honda-san also walked with him?! Tell us...tell us exactly what happened!"

"Be quiet, you big-mouthed idiots. Miss Wilson hasn't done anything wrong, and on her first day here at Kaibara Middle School, instead of welcoming her, you frighten the poor girl to death! Where is your shame and humility?" Yuki fiercely intruded on the conversation, his own eyes shining a bright gray.

To Faith's amusement, the four Fan Club girls instantly bowed to her and apologized, then ran off. Faith then turned back to Yuki and bowed. "Um, thank you. I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," Yuki replied, smiling. "As long as those bullies don't bother you again, you don't need to do anyth--"

"Faith! My gosh, are you OK?! We heard the raised shouts and--" Julie's breath caught when she saw Yuki with Faith. Then she continued, "Thank you so much, Sohma-kun! I'll never be able to thank you enough for protecting Faith!"

Marie also came up, having run all the way from the classroom halfway across the school. "Yes, indeed, Yuki Sohma. We are most grateful for your protecting her from...those _idiots,_ did you call them?" She smiled.

Suddenly, the bells started ringing. "Oh no...I haven't even gone to 1st period yet! Now what should I do...?" Faith trailed off.

"Hey, no matter. We'll just vouch for you. Marie and I," Julie said, hugging Faith to comfort her.

"You...that is...do you mind if I come along?" Yuki asked.

"Of course you can come with us, Yuki Sohma. As long as you also vouch for Faith in front of Mayuko-sensei, we'll be just fine with you coming along," Marie replied, turning her impassive eyes on him.

* * *

Back in the classroom, Mayuko accepted the others' vouching of Faith and sent them all off to lunch.

So on the way down to the cafeteria, Julie remarked, "You know, I haven't seen that Kyo all day, not since he smacked into us. Where do ya think he went?"

"I did see him in the classroom for part of 1st period today," Yuki answered. "But he seemed to have left all of a sudden. I went out to look for him and heard the raised shouts of those _Fan Club _members--" he spat out the name in disgust--"and then you all know what happ--"

"Move, you idiotic Rat!" Kyo suddenly appeared out of nowhere and shoved the whole group out of the way.

"C'mon, everyone...let's go!" Julie's eyes shone with excitement to catch this rude boy who'd already bumped into her twice, then she took off sprinting down the hallway at a speed no one else could rival...except Kyo.

The others practically gave up, lagging a hallway behind Julie, while Yuki tried to speed them up and keep their excitement going. Julie noticed them trying to get her to slow down. She instead ran even faster, gaining on Kyo, now at a dead end hallway.

"Kyo, there's something you need to explain," Julie began, slowing to an easy jog, then a power-walk.

He shook his head frantically. "Who the heck are you?! Stop--stop--stop...!" As he turned towards the open window behind him, he suddenly got an idea.

Marie, half-a-hallway behind Julie now, felt the presence of excitement in Kyo and somehow read his mind: _I've got an idea. _She cried out, "Julie! Be careful--Kyo Sohma is plotting something!!"

"So you want to escape." Julie sounded cold and cruel as she backed Kyo into the corner of the hallway, five feet away from the window. "I don't think that's happening any time soon," she hissed at him, baring her teeth.

Kyo's anger was right at boiling point right now. He struggled to control himself, but he couldn't any longer. "_**I'll kill you, you jerk-off!**_"

Julie smirked. "Say that again, you idiotic little boy. Say that again and see what happens...!" She cracked her knuckles, primed for a fight.

"Oh no, don't, Julie!" Faith whispered, extremely worried now.

"I'm sorry, Faith...her eyes are shining a golden-yellow. When that happens..." Marie trailed off as Kyo and Julie started circling around each other.

"I knew this idiot would get into a fight with one of you girls," Yuki muttered.

Marie, surprised, turned to Yuki. "Does he always do this when new girls arrive at this middle school?"

"No, not always...but I could tell that a bunch of unwelcoming situations would greet you today, on your first day of school."

"Grahhh...**SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!!**" Kyo shouted, throwing the first punch, extremely irritated at Yuki.

Julie coolly dodged it. "Are you moves _always_ this easy to defend against?" she asked, catching him off guard by slamming him against the back wall. Before he could retaliate, she had him by the collar. "I believe there are some things you need to explain, you idiotic nincompoop. First off...why do you need to bump into Faith and Marie _**two times**_ before you're satisfied? Are you some sort of evil lord, who shows no mercy to anyone, even people who aren't his 'subjects'?!" Her voice deepened dramatically. "Who the heck do you think you are, anyway?!"

"Please stop!!" It was Tohru, running down the hallway. Julie let go of Kyo, making him crumple to the floor. Her eyes dimmed again as she bowed to Tohru. "I'm sorry, Honda-san. But this _**complete IDIOT**_ here is totally insensitive and clueless!"

"Julie...calm down," Marie said, gently touching her shoulder. "You're scaring everyone right now."

"Yes, we appreciate that you care so much for us...but it's not worth it, frightening everyone else," Faith murmured.

Julie sighed and nodded. "We should probably go to lunch now."

* * *

Yuki and Kyo didn't eat at all; instead, they sat outside in a deserted corner of the schoolyard.

"I hope you are happy with yourself, stupid Cat," Yuki said, sitting with his back to Kyo.

"Tuh! _You're_ the stupid one, Rat."

"Thanks to you, the three new girls are _very _displeased with the Sohma family. You should congratulate yourself, Kyo. Give yourself a pat on the back," Yuki sarcastically replied.

Kyo jumped up and turned to Yuki. "Shut up, you bastard!! That's it--I'm gonna beat you once and for all! Prepare yourself, cold-hearted Rat!!"

Yuki also stood and prepared to fight Kyo. "You stupid Cat--you'll never learn, will you?"

"I said SHUT UP!!" Kyo's anger was now at Heat Overload point. As he started running towards Yuki, Faith saw from inside the cafeteria and immediately rushed towards the two feuding Sohmas, her friends following her. She rushed in front of Yuki, protecting him from Kyo, now about two feet away. He tried to skid to a stop, but Julie saw that it would be too late and shoved Faith out of the way. Everything would've worked out, but Kyo accidentally tripped and pushed Julie out of the way into Yuki's arms as he landed hard on the ground. _Poof!_

Julie reacted quickly. She knew there was only one way to get out of this desperate situation...but it was impossible when another of a different curse transformed. She skidded across the pavement, looking around for Yuki. Ah! There he was...as a tiny gray mouse. Julie gritted her teeth. "Dang it, how're we going to get out of _this_ one...?"

Kyo was dumbfounded. "I must be seeing things. There's no way anything as weird as this can actually be happening!"

At that instant Tohru came up. "I-I heard the shouts...is everyone alright...?" Julie groaned inwardly as Tohru turned towards her. "Um, Julie-san, w-what's wrong...?"

"Nothing, nothing! It's just..." Julie trailed off. She must look a sight! Everything would be red, yellow, and orange--her hair, her clothes, _everything_! "Well, since there's no getting out of it..." Everyone looked at her now. "Faith, Marie, and I are more than just friends. We're...the closest cousins on earth, OK? As you might've seen already, I'm really protective of them. Probably _over_-protective of them. And we aren't normal girls. You can tell, can't you? We have a curse, just like the Sohmas. But I think us three have reason to believe ours is so much worse than your Zodiac one. "

Marie took over the commentary. "I'm the oldest of us three, but only by a month; Julie's right in the middle, and Faith is about a year younger than both of us. The thing is...we don't exactly transform, but...yes, we sort of _do_ transform, but not in the way you might think. We are part of the Elemental Guardians. It's a top-secret organization...that...was formed thousands of generations back by the family head millions of years ago. And we are controlled by the Elements. I'm Ice, Julie's Fire--as you can see--and Faith is Light. There are many others in our family also possessed. But the chains run even deeper in our family...there are at least three people that have the same element at any given time in our family; and this goes for _every_ element. Almost."

"How...how many elements _are _there?" Yuki quietly asked.

"There's twelve main ones that run in our family...just like the Chinese Zodiac. But there is an 'outsider' element, if you will, which three people have at a time in our family. It is Space, meaning Outer Space. Finally, there is one that only one person can be at a single time in our family," Faith explained. "However, it takes three forms--Void, Sky, or Heaven. Sky is somewhere in the middle--neither cold nor hot, but neutral. The Heavenly form is amazing and wonderful--pure bliss at its best. But just as easily, this person can switch to Void--a dark abyss which no one can escape; its wrath tortures everyone it comes into contact with and...!" Faith gasped for a moment and lowered her voice to the merest whisper. "If you make him mad enough to go to The Darkest Void...he will _kill _you. And...no one can go against his will. He is set above us, the Regular Elementals, who are set above the Outsider Elemental. This person is in charge of our Fate and Life itself in our Elementals' world."

The three cousins then said in unison, "The Sohmas may be able to sympathize with us and somewhat understand our world of torture and anger...but _no one_ outside our family can ever completely get the whole picture of what goes on in our lives. Like what we said before..._no one_ can go against the head's will."

A deep, dark voice responded, "And the head himself is here right now."

Everyone turned to the outskirts of the schoolyard, where the voice had come from. A black-haired, hooded man stood besides the tallest tree there, his back turned to the others. Julie, Faith, and Marie immediately stiffened and tensed. _Isamu Takuma Wilson..._

*

Heh, I really came up with this draft incredibly fast. Please excuse the minor mistakes/typos/etc., and I hope you enjoyed! Anyway, here's a short commentary from the Fruits Basket characters! :)

* * *

**Tohru:** Bravo! That was amazing! *claps*

**Kyo:** Are you kidding me?! Why am _I_ always the bad guy?! Seriously.

**Me:** Be quiet and stop whining, Cat. You'll have a very important part in this story, I assure you.

**Yuki:** Yes, that's right, stupid Cat. Stop acting like a spoiled brat.

**Shigure: **WAHH!!! I wasn't even in this part! *bawls like a baby*

**Kagura: **I hate you, whoever this writer was! Poor Kyo-kun seems to be the villain in every single fanfiction story I see nowadays...

**Me: ***turns black* Would you like to say that again, Kagura-san? *eyes start to glow*

**Momiji: **Aw, Kagura-neechan's scared! How could you?!

**Hatori: **Momiji, stop it. *sighs* If you don't want her to turn on you.

**Me: **Finally, someone _understands_ me!! Seriously!

**Faith: **Kyo and Kagura do have a point though.

**Julie: **Yeah, you gotta admit, Shigure and Momiji's opinions also make sense.

**Marie: **Hehe, I like my role in this story. So mysterious and creepy...

**Hatsuharu: ***pouts* Geez, I wasn't in here either. Nor was Rin, or Akito, or Shigure--wait, he already said that--or Ayame or Hatori or Honda-san's two best friends or...well, you get the picture.

**Ayame:** Hello, everyone! I do hope you weren't lonely while I was absent!

**Yuki, Kyo, Hatori:** *in unison* Would you just _shut up?_

**Kisa:** Uh, um, p-please don't fight...

**Hiro: **Kisa, ignore them and leave 'em to fight it out. I mean, that's just about all Ayame can do--force others to fight against him.

**Ritsu: **AAAH! I'm sorry! Please forgive me for not being present yet! *sobs*

**Rin: **Oh, gosh. I can't believe I actually came here. Well, at least Haru's here...

**Kureno:** *is silent as he looks around at all the fighting*

**Akito: **Ooh, spooky. That 'Isamu Takuma Wilson' guy sounds just like me! Heh. But is that a good thing or a bad thing...?

**Arisa: **Hmm, interesting. I seem so similar to this Julie in the story....

**Saki: **As I resemble Marie Wilson so much...

**Kazuma: **Ha ha! Kyo, you're such a pain in this chapter. And so very rude.

**Manabe: **I really don't see anyone I know that well here..ah! Yun-yun! I'm so happy to finally see someone I recognize and know well!!

**Yuki: **Please stop, Kakeru-kun. Or whatever--Vice President-san.

**Shigure: **_Yun-yun?!_ *laughs uncontrollably for 10 seconds, then finally recovers himself* Oh my gosh, that was funny!!

**Machi:** President...this person that's laughing at you...is he related to you in any way...?

**Me: **No. No. Believe me, Shigure is no relation _at all _to Yuki-kun. It's true.

**Ren:** *is very quiet and glares at everyone else*

**Katsuya: **Tohru...you know, your mother and I are so proud of you. You've come so far, and we wanted to let you know we love you.

**Kyoko: **Yes. We're so happy for you! I just hope we somehow end up in this story, in the weirdest way possible...haha! Not very likely.

**Me: **Hmm, I'll try doing that. Yes, yes...there's got to be a way....

**Prince Yuki Fan Club:** No...! AAAHHH!! Run away! _There's _the one who humiliated us...! *all of them point at me*

**Me:** Say that again...say that again and see what happens!

**Everyone else: **That's right. Get out! You're not welcome here!

**Prince Yuki Fan Club: ***run off like a bunch of scaredy-_cats_*

**Isamu: **Greetings, everyone. How have you been? I do hope the poor author of this idiotic story did not frighten you with her visions of my personality...because I am _not_ evil, I assure you.

**Me: **Hey, I'm your creater, you nincompoop. How dare you defy me?! You know I could destroy you in the next chapter?

**Isamu: **Heh, but you can't kill me off in _this_ chapter. Besides, how would you destroy me anyway?

**Me: **You'll see...bwa ha ha ha....

* * *

Yes, I also have a black side. But I try not to show it too much. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Please review! :D


	2. Friends and Foes

Behold--the second chapter/installment of my 1st (of many) Furuba Fan-Fictions! Yay! I hope you enjoy this installment as well. :)

**Disclaimer: Again, Furuba is owned by Natsuki Takaya, not me. But my original characters are my own property.**

*

****_Everyone turned to the outskirts of the schoolyard, where the voice had come from. A black-haired, hooded man stood besides the tallest tree there, his back turned to the others. Julie, Faith, and Marie immediately stiffened and tensed._ **Isamu Takuma Wilson...******

"Isamu...what are you doing here?" Julie asked as she stood up, protecting the others.

Isamu glared at her, but did not immediately respond. When he replied, his voice was incredibly low and quiet. "What business is it of yours?! I thought _I_ was the head of our family...not _you_. So shut up, and don't speak of the matter again!"

Everyone frowned; Yuki and Kyo were thinking, _Whoa. This guy is even _**worse **_than Akito!!_

Suddenly, the bells started ringing again. Julie's fiery costume disappeared, replaced with her normal-colored school uniform, just before the other eighth graders rushed outside, lining up at the double doors leading back inside. As Julie glared back at Isamu, he noticed and smirked.

"You idiot," he whispered, fingering a strand of her long, blonde hair. "You're so conceited, and you think you can do whatever you want! But now that our secret has ultimately gotten out..._you'll be punished. You, and everyone else involved in this incident, will receive my burning wrath some time or other in the near future. Even...the Sohmas, and that pathetic girl, Tohru Honda. So don't let down your guard._ You won't know the time I will call you away to my private quarters, be it during school, a party, or even one of our family reunions! Be watching...**_or else._**" Isamu ended the conversation by turning around and walking away from the school and the others.

Julie appeared calm, but her fists were clenched and she stood rooted to her spot on the pavement. Her eyes were wide and shining a golden-bronze; although everyone else had relaxed the instant Isamu had stalked off, she was still very stiff and tensed.

"Um, Julie? Are you alright?" Faith's voice seemed to bring Julie back to reality.

"Mm," was her only response as she followed the disappearing crowds of students inside.

Everyone else glanced worriedly at each other before hurrying after her.

* * *

After school, the three Wilsons again met up with Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru.

"Hey. I don't know about you, but that Isamu guy seems like a real idiot," Kyo remarked, hoping to cheer the pale, lightless-eyed Julie up.

Marie, Faith, and Julie only looked even more worried at that statement.

"Please don't say that on our behalf. Isamu has ways of finding things out that no one else can rival. We don't want you to get hurt more than you already will be," they implored the Sohmas and Tohru.

"Wh...what do you mean?" Yuki asked, puzzled.

"Isamu...always takes things too far. The tiniest problems for us would become sheer, imposing mountains to him. And...this is not the first time our secret has gotten out in our lifetime. So now he is extremely mad not only at us but at you, the ones who now know our secrets. I'm begging you...don't get on his bad side, _please._ Especially not if it's for our sake." Julie's voice was deathly silent, the words sounding strained and as if they had to be dragged out of her mouth.

"But we can't help it," Tohru gently replied. "I couldn't bear the look on your face as Isamu-san..._tortured_ you. No one deserves to be pained so much."

Julie flinched at the word 'tortured', then turned away. "Thanks for everything, guys. I...really appreciate it." Without another word, she left the school building.

* * *

Back at home, Marie and Faith tried to comfort Julie.

"We must always put up with this kind of..._torture, _to put it in Tohru Honda's words, as we are members of the Wilsons, a cursed family left in a state even worse than the Sohmas'. So don't let it bother you, Julie. Please don't," Marie pleaded, lying down next to Julie on Julie's bed.

"She's right, Julie. Isamu...he must have been having a hard time lately. That's the only reason why his words would be so harsh," Faith softly continued, lying down on the other side of Julie's bed.

When Julie continued to look downhearted, Marie and Faith understood she wanted to be alone.

"Remember...don't let it bother you too much, Jules. And...music always helps," Marie hinted as she walked out the door, nodding towards the violin case in a corner of the room.

The door shut behind them. Julie sighed and glanced out the window. No one was watching. She turned towards the darkest corner, furthest away from the door and the window. She picked up the dusty, lonely case and sighed again.

"It's been...a long time."

Downstairs, Marie and Faith suddenly heard the violin resonate.

"It's such a sweet and mournful song," Faith said, gazing off into the distance.

"Yes...she always did love _Ave Maria_." Marie stood up and went over to the dust-covered piano in the living room and opened it up. "I think...this one's lonely." Without further ado, she started playing _Ave Maria_ along with Julie.

Faith was surprised, but realized she should come in as well. After retrieving her case from _her_ room, she opened it up and put her flute together. She also joined in the song, to make beautiful music with her two cousins. It was not until the three of them had finished _Ave Maria _that they realized a crowd of people was gathering outside their home, clapping and cheering. And at the very front were Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru.

Julie rushed downstairs after Marie and Faith, already outside.

"That was amazing," Yuki said in an undertone.

"Yes," Tohru agreed.

"Definitely," Kyo muttered, not meeting the Wilsons' eyes.

"How...how did you hear?" Faith asked, shyly glancing up at Tohru and the Sohmas. (She's short!)

"Well, considering that all your windows are wide-open," Yuki said, smiling, "I marvel that there were parts we had to strain to hear at all, since we live almost right across the street." He jerked his head back the way they'd come, past the tiny grove of trees and by the giant hill.

"We...had no idea you lived so close," Marie said, more than a little surprised.

"Yeah, well...we were wondering whether you guys lived nearby or not. I mean, we've never met anyone else on our way to school before. So..." Kyo trailed off, a little embarrassed at his sudden need to talk.

"Yeah. OK." Julie completely understood. "I also wondered where you guys lived, 'cause it's not like a ton of kids go to school on the path we took."

As the Wilsons, Sohmas, and Tohru chatted, it felt like they'd known each other for years and were rekindling a long-lost friendship. But as Isamu watched from behind the nearby bushes, he was very displeased. Turning to his black-haired companion, he said, "I officially hate all of them. Especially this outsider, Tohru Honda! How dare she do this! Doesn't she know that she can't do _anything_ to stop _me?! _She's arrogant and conceited...just like Faith and Julie. She's also stubborn, like Marie. And unable to understand our pain as cursed members of the enormous Wilsons family, like her two friends, Yuki and Kyo Sohma. The whole lot of them are idiots!"

"I agree with you, Isamu. But they are still in that wonderful stage of life, the ignorance and innocence of youth. We can leave them be for now. Later on, however, they shall have to pay."

Isamu laughed at his companion's statement. "Wonderfully said, Joe! I commend you for your zeal of _my _leadership. But anyway...keep an eye on them for me, will you? There's a quick errand I need to do." Without waiting for Joe's response, Isamu took off away from the others, headed back to his personal quarters.

Joe sighed and turned back to the teenagers, now waving goodbye to each other. _They look so happy! I wish we could all smile as freely and as naturally as that. But as cursed members of the Wilsons family...it is impossible_, he thought. When the Sohmas and Tohru were out of sight and Marie, Julie, and Faith had gone back inside, Joe jumped away from the prickly bushes and opened the front door, pretending to have just gotten home.

"I'm home, everyone!" he called in the quiet house. "Hello? Where _is _everyone? Oh Faith! Marie! Julie! Where are you?"

"Think fast!" Julie yelled at the top of the stairs, throwing down a basketball. Joe managed to grab it without tearing apart his hands, when Faith and Marie suddenly jumped out at him from the shadows.

"Playing dirty now, eh?" Joe muttered as he laughingly dodged their frantic blocks, making an easy pass back up to the wide-open Julie, who then scored in her basket from the imaginary free-throw line.

"YES! We won again, Joe!" Julie triumphantly punched the air.

Joe grinned. "You gotta admit, though, Faith and Marie have improved so much since we first started this drill! I think everyone should give themselves a pat on the back. Now let's switch up the teams." After a pause, Joe decided. "OK! So now Julie and I are defense. You, Marie and Faith, are now offense, trying to score in that basket up there." Joe pointed towards the loft, where the top of the basket was just visible. He winked at Julie, mouthing, "Guard Marie!" and said, "Good luck, girls! On your marks...get set...GO!"

Seconds later, Julie had stolen the ball from the offensive team and scored for her team. "Another victory!" She high-fived Joe.

"Well, anyway, don't let this discourage you two girls," Joe kindly told Faith and Marie. "Tomorrow, we'll probably change up the teams again! But for now...who's hungry?"

"ME!" everyone shouted except Faith. She chuckled and said, "Then what would you guys like to eat? Ooh! I know--let's have some dumplings!" (traditional Chinese dish)

Just then the doorbell rang. "Oh? Who can that be?" Joe asked.

_Could it be? _the three girls thought. Faith opened the door and there stood Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru, along with a smiling stranger and a basket full of food!

"Oh my gosh! Come in, come in! Please, I'll carry that, Honda-san! Goodness, this is such a surprise!" Faith was bustling about, making their guests welcome.

Yuki and Tohru blushed. "Um, we're sorry for barging in like this. We just wanted to know if you'd like to eat this meal with us. I mean, you guys _are _our new neighbors," Yuki explained.

"Oh, that's fine! You really shouldn't have gone to all that trouble, y'know." Julie winked at them and opened up the basket. "Whoa. How much food did you stuff in here, anyway?!"

Marie turned to Tohru. "Who was that walking with you three? He does not seem to be the brightest..."

Kyo snorted. "_That _was Shigure. Unfortunately, he's a perverted idiot _and _a Sohma like that Rat and I. We always have to _dog* _his tracks, otherwise he'd do something to Tohru. Yes, he's that bad."

Yuki frowned. "Shigure _is_ a pervert, but he's not as bad as you make him out to be. He's actually quite a bit better than _you_."

Tohru kept Kyo from exploding, then sighed. "We should probably eat now!" she exclaimed, preventing Yuki and Kyo from fighting.

Everyone grabbed as much food as they wanted, then dug in.

"Oh...that reminded me. Was that man Shigure walked up the stairs with your guardian?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, that's right. He's our Cousin Joe!" Faith replied.

"So...is _he _also a transforming elemental person thingy?" Kyo asked.

"Water. Flowing back and forth all the time. We're not close enough to him yet to know exactly what he's thinking. But there are two people who do," Julie said.

"So...did Shigure-san and Joe-san know each other already, before we met each other as classmates?" Tohru wondered out loud.

"It's probable. They are incredibly similar, and we have known of the Sohmas and you, Tohru Honda, for quite a long time," Marie answered.

"_WHAAAAAAAAATTT?!_" Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru looked from Faith to Julie to Marie.

The Wilson Trio smiled at each other, and each brought out one of the Fruits Basket books.

Faith flipped open the first book. "This is where you start living with them, Honda-san. And that's the part where Kyo Sohma-kun breaks the roof in your room and starts fighting Yuki Sohma-kun. You see? Your lives are imprinted on the pages of these three books. It is part of the most famous shojo manga series ever in the world, Fruits Basket. And this series is the one closest and dearest to our three hearts."

Julie smiled. "You never knew? This series came out in the USA in, like, 2004. So it's been out for quite a while. Of course, here in Japan, it was released earlier--1998 or sometime around there. Oh yeah! Book Two. You're the star on this one, Prince Yuki." (Yuki gasped at his new nickname) "So in this one, it's the New Year, and you two, the Prince and Hothead over here--" Kyo almost exploded yet again--"desert the total idiot Akito and stay with Tohru-san during Sanga-Nichi." Julie's grin became even wider.

"And the last book describing your lives up until now," Marie continued. "Book Three.** Kyo Sohma is on the cover. This book tells about the Endurance Run where Tohru Honda meets Hatsuharu Sohma. Also in here is Kyo Sohma fighting with Hatsuharu Sohma, and the double-date with Kagura--" Yuki and Kyo cringed--"on Valentine's Day, and the White Day gifts to Tohru Honda."

After a few moments of shocked silence, everyone started laughing. By this time, the food and drinks were all gone, and Shigure and Joe came down.

"Shigure! What did you do this time?" Yuki and Kyo yelled, seeing the smile on his face.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. We were merely getting acquainted with each other, seeing that we're neighbors," Joe assured them.

"Yes! Well...um, we should probably be going now so that we don't trouble the Wilsons any longer," Tohru reminded the others.

"Hey, it's fine! I think we should all have some fun, seeing that you guys have been having so much fun downstairs while us two adults were talking about serious matters," Joe said. "Oh, right...how about a game of cards?! Dai Hin Min is my choice!"

"The cards." Shigure dramatically drew them out of his left pants pocket.

"_Let's GO!_" everyone shouted.

* * *

Many hours and card games later, the Sohmas and Tohru left the Wilson residence. Everyone went to bed exhausted that night. Thank goodness the next day was a Sunday!

*

The first asterisk (*): Did you get the joke? Did ya?

The double asterisk (**): Even though it should technically be around Book 2 right now, considering the time of year it is, I'm putting them a year ahead, midway through Book 4. Yup.

Anyway, I really hoped you enjoyed this 2nd chapter! Please review and keep reading. :)

* * *

**Tohru, Yuki, Kyo: **Great job!

**Tohru:** This is getting to be very exciting! But I can't believe the Wilsons already knew about us before they moved to Japan!

**Yuki:** I know, right? Anyway, my favorite part was probably Julie's nickname for Kyo, 'Hothead over there'. Oh my gosh, that was funny!

**Kyo: **Shut up! Weren't you embarrassed by _your_ nickname, Mr. Prince?!

**Shigure: **Oh, you two! That was funny! Haha!

**Me: **I'm so glad you guys liked it!

**Julie: **Yes, this story is shaping up to be very interesting...although I know exactly what's gonna happen, hehe.

**Marie: **That's right. Us Wilsons know everything about what has happened, is happening, and will happen.

**Faith: **Oh, stop teasing them, you guys.

**Whole Group: ***laughs*


	3. Sunday of Surprises and Horrors

Hey, everybody! It's me again, here with the 3rd chapter of the Guardians Elemental! I really hope you have enjoyed the previous 2 chapters, and that you enjoy this one as well. Without further ado--besides the Disclaimer--I now present my 3rd installment of this, my 1st Furuba fan-fiction here! (And by the way...sorry for the immensely long delay in updating! Not that anyone actually noticed, but...)

**Disclaimer: Although this is getting tiring, I need to say that Furuba is definitely owned by Natsuki Takaya, not me. But my original characters are my own property.**

*

****_Many hours and card games later, the Sohmas and Tohru left the Wilson residence. Everyone went to bed exhausted that night. Thank goodness the next day was a Sunday!_****

It was a Sunday. A sweet, glorious Sunday. But not an ordinary sweet, glorious Sunday. This time, the Wilsons, Sohmas, and Tohru all woke up at the exact same time. And they all had just had the same exact dream.

* * *

Later that day, Julie again brought out her violin and started playing. But her focus was completely lost a few minutes later--she couldn't stop thinking back to that dream. Marie and Faith couldn't concentrate on doing their homework, and Joe couldn't relax long enough before his mind turned back to that haunting, yet glorious, feeling.

* * *

Across the street, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo were lost in thought that evening at the dinner table, and even Shigure stopped stupidly smiling long enough to contemplate the meaning of the dream they'd all apparently had.

_

* * *

_

The Wilsons just then heard several loud shouts coming from the Sohma residence. They rushed over to see what the matter was and found an elaborate, silver-haired man, who was apparently Yuki's older brother.

"Uh...this is sorta...out of the ordinary," Julie began, watching the two brothers go at it.

"You can say that again," Marie said, without any emotion in her voice.

"Uh, um, Yuki Sohma-kun...? A-are you OK...?" Faith trailed off as Yuki glared back at her. "Ah! I-I'm so sorry..."

"Mademoiselle? What is this I hear spilling out of your dear, young, tender mouth?!" Ayame-san exclaimed, turning towards Faith and grabbing her shoulders. Then he continued, "I apologize profusely for my younger brother's rudeness to you!" Bowing, his long hair lightly _whoosh_ed to the floor as Yuki's throbbing vein grew bigger and bigger. Finally, he exploded.

"**_WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING, TOUCHING MISS WILSON WITH YOUR FILTHY, PERVERTED HANDS?!!_**" Yuki shouted, his words reverberating through the now silent house.

"Hey! Mr. Prince, y'all gotta calm down a little," Julie interrupted the fight, grabbing _Yuki's_ shoulders. "Don't get so upset over this nincompoop that's _supposed_ to be your older bro. 'Cuz I can tell you right now, you're acting a lot more mature and responsible than he is. I'm not trying to flatter you. It's a fact."

Yuki managed to suppress his anger, blushing as he realized the true value of Julie's words. "Thanks," he murmured. Before he could turn away, Kyo rudely hissed, "Take **that**, _Sir_ Prince! Gonna stomp up to your room now and cry like a little baby, right?"

Yuki's face was impassive as the room fell deathly silent. "Say that again," he snarled quietly. "Say that again, and see what happens, you idiotic Cat!"

"All right then! You're obviously just gonna stomp right up those stairs to your secluded room, slam the door behind you, and break down crying! Ain't that right, Prissy--**_AAAAUGHHHHH!!! _**WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR, WILSON?!!"

Marie had slapped him as hard as she could. "You, I'm afraid, need to learn about respect and honor," she muttered. "Someone like you, who is rude to anyone he meets, should at least show himself worthy and dignified in front of someone like Yuki Sohma. But no, no no no no! You're _far _too good for everyone else sitting in this room right now! Aren't you, young lad...?"

"Marie...?" Faith and Julie had never seen Marie so furious yet depressed at the same time.

"If you'll excuse me." Marie's long hair flowed behind her as she exited the Sohma residence. After taking a few steps, she broke into a run, tears streaming down her face. _No...I can't believe I'm back to **those **dirty feelings again!_ she screamed inside her head, desperately trying not to break down. Coming to a stop while wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve, she realized that she was nowhere near home. But which direction should she run in to get back? _Darn it...my tears fogged up my vision and I can't tell which way is back home!_

"Marie-san? Are you all right?" It was Tohru. She'd instantly taken off after Marie when she saw her run from the house.

"I'm fine," Marie replied, looking anywhere but at Tohru.

"Please, don't take Kyo-kun that seriously. After all, he and Yuki-kun still argue quite a lot. It sounds like I'm just trying to excuse his rude actions back there, but--"

"It's OK, Miss Tohru Honda. Thank you." Marie smiled, then turned towards Tohru. "When I was small...my true parents always loved me. Everything was perfect. As far as I was concerned, nothing bad or repulsive or impure existed. But then..."

"And then?" Tohru prompted her.

"Then, they died in a terrible accident at sea," Marie continued, eyes closed. "And I was taken in by my aunt and uncle. I was relieved and relaxed, because I thought that maybe my life could go back to normal. My life mostly _did _go back to normal, but my foster parents--as far as I'm concerned, they're not even my relatives anymore--were harsh, mean, and cruel. There was no telling when they'd blow up at me. But of course," she added bitterly, eyes burning with hatred, "they never laid a single finger of the blame on their own bratty, idiotic little daughter. She was called Priscilla, and to this day, I find it hard to believe there even was such a hateful little girl in my lifetime. However, when I relax for the slightest moment...even if it's just a 30-second stretching period...whenever I let my guard down for the tiniest fraction of a second...that's when I remember the horrors of my childhood. And how I decided to simply run away from it all, with my childhood friends Julie and Faith." There was a momentary silence, then Marie bowed to Tohru, saying, "Excuse me for my rambling on and on. I had no intention to tell you--all that--but...eh, well, there's no turning back now, is there?"

Suddenly, a high-pitched, feminine voice squeaked from within the nearby undergrowth, "That's right, you ungrateful little wretch! I knew it, that you'd run away on purpose! But I didn't have the heart to tell dear Priscilla or Richard. Now, though, there's no escaping me--prepare to die, idiotic brat!"

"Aunt Emma? Is that you?" Marie replied as nonchalantly as she could in front of Tohru.

"It is indeed me, stupid imbecile! Who do you take me for?!" the same creaky voice as before screeched.

"Isamu, stop it. **_RIGHT NOW,_**" a deep voice boomed from further in the undergrowth. The bush leaves parted, revealing a rather disheveled Isamu waving a knobbly old cane. Then a tall woman with waist-length, tied-up blonde hair stepped out from behind a tree.

"Bonjour, mes amies!" a dancing girl, waving her arms excitedly as her eyes shone, exclaimed brightly, jumping out of the nearby oak tree (miraculously landing on the ground 15 feet below without a single scrape).

"Édith Dorothée Wilson...what are you doing here...?" Marie asked.

"Eh?! You know her, Marie-san?!" Tohru exclaimed.

"Yes, she does know her. I myself am Atsuko Hanako Wilson, another one of Marie, Faith, and Julie's cousins."

Tohru was shocked. _But that deep voice...I thought it was a **man **who said it!! AAHHHHHHHH!!_

"Hey, Marie! There you are. Listen, you OK?" Julie's voice was very serious and her eyes softened as she came over to Marie, followed by Yuki, Kyo, Joe, and Shigure.

"She's fine...Isamu there certainly shocked her for a second, though," Atsuko replied before Marie could even open her mouth.

"You all seem to be having fun...mind if I join in?" a kind-voiced, gentle-eyed young man asked as he peeked his head out from behind a tree.

"Huh? Daichi...what's going on? Why are you here, of all places?" Julie asked, flabbergasted.

"Eh? Another Wilson?" Yuki and Kyo said at the same time. Realizing what had happened, they promptly turned away from each other and muttered, "Hmph!"

"Hello! Pleased to meet you all. I'm Daichi Hachirou Wilson, cousin of Julie, Marie, and Faith," he said, turning to the Sohmas and bowing.

"Why'd you let them know about _the curse_?" Atsuko whispered in Julie's ear.

"It wasn't my fault! That idiot Hothead over there--" Julie jerked her thumb back towards Kyo--"fell on top of me, causing me to transform!!"

"I see..." Atsuko trailed off as she noticed Isamu standing up, looking straight at them.

"Nonetheless, you should've had some more self-control back there, right? Simply say something like, 'Oh dear! Oopsies--looks like I changed into my play costume too soon!' Why couldn't you have done that instead of blurting out all our family secrets?!" Isamu asked bitterly, walking up to Julie.

Everybody got quiet.

"It wasn't her fault, Isamu," Marie said, stepping forward, trying to explain.

"SHUT UP!!" Isamu slapped her across the face. She crumpled to the ground from the force of his hit.

"You idiot!" Julie shrieked. "This is a 14-year-old girl we're talking about!!"

"Hey. You two, you should calm down--" Yuki was brusquely cut off by Kyo.

"Stay the heck out of it, Rat. These conflicts don't concern us. C'mon, you guys."

Tohru was so worried she didn't even hear Kyo; Shigure was not in any mood to listen to a middle-schooler; and there was no way Yuki was going to 'stay the heck out of it'. Kyo sighed and decided to stay, seeing as no one bothered to heed his words.

"Julie...it's alright. I'm OK." Marie pulled herself up, face screwed up from the pain; then she, helped by Julie and Faith, walked home, away from everyone else.

Without a word, Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru followed them. Joe and Shigure glanced at each other for a few seconds, then took off jogging after the middle-school kids. Daichi motioned to Édith to follow him. Now only Atsuko was left, glaring daggers at the nonplussed Isamu.

"What did I do wrong? Everyone just suddenly d-d-deserts me!!"

"I would've thought that it was quite _obvious _why everyone left you. But of course, the family head can figure out _anything._ Can't you?" As Atsuko caught up to the other Wilsons, Isamu's mind flashed back to a few years ago: "_SHUT UP!! DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT! I CAN DO ANYTHING!! NO ONE CAN OR WILL STOP ME!!! SO NEVER DOUBT MY AUTHORITY AGAIN, ATSUKO. _**Because you'll regret it,**" he'd threatened Atsuko as she'd angrily glared up at him during his rather loud lecture.

His face closed and he walked in the opposite direction everyone else had gone. _So, they think they can do whatever they want now, eh? Well, I'll show them. I'll show them who's boss around here!?_

Meanwhile at the Wilson residence, Marie was resting her swollen ankles while reclining on the comfy sofa in the living room; the others laughed and joked around her.

"Marie! Are you OK?!" Faith suddenly asked, dropping to her knees in front of the couch. "The scar..."

Marie drew the reappearing, disfigured scar line with her fingernail. "It's fine. It'll come and go with time."

Kyo whistled. "That was quite a slap your family head gave you back there. Man, and that scar from him!!"

"It wasn't from Isamu's slap," Julie muttered. The room got deathly silent as she continued, "Not entirely, at least."

"Marie's foster parents were...let's just say they were the worst of all the Elementals' parents." Atsuko took over the commentary. "When she was only 5 or 6, they started treating her very harshly, for no apparent reason. They threatened her, slapped her, threw her across the apartment's bedroom, sometimes even viciously attacked her. It was not a pleasant place, for those two idiots were constantly drinking. When they were sane again, they still blamed her for everything that'd happened: the broken window, torn sofa cushion, you name it."

"Thankfully, us three were friends even way back then, and we were always there for each other. Marie told us about her family situation. Faith and I decided then that we'd also had enough," Julie added. "So Joe took us in, and we've lived with him ever since! However, we've only _just _moved to Japan. Now we've been living here for...about a month-and-a-half, right?"

"Yes." Faith nodded.

There was an awkward silence as everyone cleared their throats.

"So anyway...it won't hurt to tell you the others' Elements, will it?" Marie asked. "Atsuko is Wind, Édith is Nature, and Daichi is Energy."

"I'm sorry about what happened back there," Yuki quietly said. All eyes turned to him as he continued, "If I could've kept my temper under my control, you wouldn't have run over to see what the matter was, or have yelled at Hothead over there, or have met Isamu-san. It's...my fault." He bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"Sohma Yuki-kun...what are you talking about? The shouts attracted our attention, but we could not suppress ourselves from going over to your house and seeing what was the matter. We three were more at fault than anyone else in this room right now." Faith glanced at everyone in the room for a moment, then continued, "Even if you did not control yourself as well as you could have, it's no matter. The damage is done, and the healing process has already started. There's nothing you can do about it. Neither can anyone else try to fix the problem. Because--unfortunately--it's here to stay." Faith's eyes hardened and her voice grew cold.

The Sohmas were all surprised: Never before had Faith appeared so cruel.

They shrugged it off for the time being and Julie broke the uncomfortable silence by asking, "Your family head--Sohma Akito?--will want to know about us, won't..." She paused for a moment, then restarted. "This family head of yours will definitely want to know about us, I'll bet. I mean, now that we Wilsons here know your secret..."

"Ah!" Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure gasped at the same time.

"I completely forgot about that!" Yuki exclaimed, berating himself for not having thought about it before.

"Geez, he'll be _pissed_! And at you guys too!" Kyo banged the coffee table, causing the books on it to jump.

"Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear," was all Shigure could say as he tried not to enter Tohru-panic-mode.

"Um...that isn't _too _bad, right? I mean, Akito-san wouldn't _torture_ you guys or anything, right?" Tohru asked worriedly. Everyone else stiffened up.

"Well..." Marie cleared her throat.

"I guess it could actually work out," Kyo said in a fake, high-pitched, nervous voice.

"Mm-hm," Shigure replied sarcastically.

Tohru seemed not to notice and enjoyed the rest of the day with her foster family and the Wilsons. However, a dark cloud loomed over everyone's thoughts that night.

* * *

The next morning, at school, Julie, Marie, and Faith were gone, as were Yuki and Kyo. The 5 of them had been called away to a meeting with 'undisclosed personnel'.

Meanwhile, Tohru bore it all as she laughed and talked with her best friends, Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima. But she wondered how her other friends were doing, and if they were all right or not.

* * *

"Eh? Akito-sama...what's going on? Why are you here with the Wilsons' family head?" Yuki asked innocently, head bowed in respect.

The other 4 reluctantly bowed their heads as well as Akito and Isamu glared at them.

"Well then! Let's get started." Akito clapped his hands, seeming to have a gleam in his eye and a new excitement in all his actions. "You 5 are here with us today in this private room of Kaibara Middle School's office because Isamu and I met and...well, let's just say that we _discussed _a few things, particularly in regards to everyone's...ah, _curses _getting revealed." The 5 students glanced sheepishly at each other.

"No matter! Anything and everything's forgiven all of you. **_But--_**" Isamu paused and solemnly stared the 5 students right in the eye before continuing. "But, if this kind of situation happens _ever _again...be warned. And know that all your past sins will never again be revoken or forgiven. Understood?"

The 5 students nodded.

"Good." Isamu nodded in satisfaction. "Now run along and enjoy yourselves. But remember--this meeting is our little secret." Akito and Isamu waved gleefully at the 5 students' departing backs.

When they finally escaped the horrifying intensity of the office, they took off at a run, not caring who saw them. They ran to their individual lockers, grabbed their stuff, and raced home as quickly as possible. The rest of the day, for them, had just been ruined.

*

So, how'd you like it? Huh? Huh? 8D Sorry, I'm hyper right now. Yes, at 10 PM my time. ^_^; Heh. Please read and review! Thank you for taking the time to read! :D

(Yes, Édith is French.)

* * *

**Tohru: **Oh no! Where did they all go? And here I am, with these gifts from Uo-chan and Hana-chan to them!

**Others: **...?


	4. The Kidnapping and the Drowning

So, here I am, back again with the 4th chapter!!

**Disclaimer: _Fruits Basket _is not my own creation; I do not own it--Natsuki Takaya does. However, I do own my own characters.**

My thanks to LightningStar for the review. ^_^ Much appreciated, my friend. (Even though it was only 2 words long...hehe. :P) Anyway, I tried to upload it fast this time around to compensate for my previous laziness! I hope you can forgive me for that, especially you, MagisterAkane. *humbly bows* Without further ado--the 4th chapter of the Elemental Guardians!! :D

*

****_When they finally escaped the horrifying intensity of the office, they took off at a run, not caring who saw them. They ran to their individual lockers, grabbed their stuff, and raced home as quickly as possible. The rest of the day, for them, had just been ruined._****

Every day was now an inescapable torture chamber that dragged along, bringing Julie, Marie, Faith, Yuki, and Kyo along with it; Akito and Isamu insisted on seeing them daily. It reminded the Wilsons of the terrible Cultural Revolution they'd heard of that'd happened in China during the 1960s, what with the struggle meetings, Family Head Enlightenment groups, on and on and on....

And if our 5 heroes showed any signs of anger, impatience, or rebellion against Akito and Isamu, they were harshly punished. Not physically--emotionally.

* * *

Once these struggle meetings had been going on for several months, the 2 family heads started targeting a different student every day. One day it would be Yuki; the next it would be Kyo. It got to the point where our dear heroes lost the will to lift up their head, walk proudly, and even talk. Tohru watched helplessly everyone had less and less fun every day while their trauma only grew worse and worse. After all, how could she go against the two family heads?

* * *

But one day, when Tohru was going to visit the Wilsons, she saw, through the window, Faith practically bawling her head off and Julie and Marie trying to comfort her (to no avail). It was then that Tohru made up her mind: She was going to help Yuki, Kyo, and the Wilson teens through their misery. There was no reason why they had to suffer so much. Akito- and Isamu-san's (Was it them?) behavior was unacceptable against these kind young people who had helped her so much after her mom had died.

* * *

So starting from the next day onward, Tohru set to action. She asked how her friends were doing every day. She slipped anonymous notes of encouragement into their lockers at lunch. And she also offered help to them in any way possible.

Always, our 5 heroes' responses were: "Thank you so much for offering to help. But you've already done so much for us; we can't let you do any more." Tohru was touched by their sincerity and kindness towards her, and never ceased to try to spur them onward.

* * *

A week later, after Tohru had gotten back from work and from her heartwarming talk on memories with Momiji on memories, she stopped by the Wilsons' house to see how they were doing. The 3 teens were laughing and happily playing a family board game with each other. Tohru smiled and walked to the Sohma household.

She happily told everyone, "The Wilsons are doing great. I just went by and saw them laughing and playing!"

Yuki, Kyo, and Shigure looked up at her from the dinner table.

"That's excellent!" Yuki exclaimed with a bit _too _much gusto.

Kyo remained silent while Shigure awkwardly cleared his throat. Finally, he asked, "Tohru-kun?"

"Yes? What's wrong, Shigure-san?"

"Eh...well...Akito asked you to come over to the Main House tomorrow. He said there were certain matters he wished to..._discuss _with you. Is that OK with you?"

"Oh..." Tohru now understood why no one in the Sohma household was happy or joyous. "I believe so...what time would it be tomorrow?"

"Right after school." Shigure's voice was firm. "I know you have work, but don't skip out on this. It won't do anyone any good."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Shigure went to open it and ushered in a trembling girl they recognized as Édith.

"Hi, Édith! It's nice to see--my gosh! What's wrong?!" Tohru asked as Édith bursted into tears.

"J-J-Julie and M-Marie a-a-and F-F-Faith are gone!! No one's s-seen them f-f-f-for 5 days now!" she cried through sobs, hugging Tohru tightly.

"What?! Then who were those people I saw through the window?!" Tohru exclaimed.

Édith stopped crying and her face darkened. "Isamu...Isamu and Akito-san and someone else must have been _pretending _to be them so that they would trick you! Come _on, _Miss Honda, come _on!! _Julie, Marie, and Faith's very _lives _may depend on us finding them in time!!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Julie, Marie, and Faith sat quietly in isolated rooms of Isamu's enormous mansion, chained in their places.

"Marie! Faith!!" Julie yelled through the bars of her cell. She heard her own words taunting her as they echoed in the gloomy silence.

Marie sat up, ears perked. _I could have sworn that I just heard something, _she thought. She coughed, then shouted, "Julie! Faith! Can you hear me?!"

Faith stirred, awakened by Marie's shout. Faith's eyes widened, and she panicked for a moment until she remembered that there was no chance of escape. None. She slumped down again, then hoarsely replied to Marie: "Marie! I'm here! It's all right!!" But there was no response to her shouts. She sighed and went back to sleep.

* * *

"HEY!" Kyo roared, pounding on the front door of Isamu's mansion. "Let us in!!"

Yuki tried to find a doorbell but couldn't see one anywhere; Tohru had no idea what to do and gentle Édith was about ready to explode.

Finally, she managed to hold in all her anger and calmly said, "Well, it's come down to one indisputable fact."

"What's that?" everyone else with her asked.

"We need to break in," she replied confidently and firmly.

* * *

"Hello, my dear Faith," Isamu purred with a poisoned, honey-like voice. "Are you doing all right, I wonder?"

"Go away. You don't care for anyone except yourself." Faith did not even look up at Isamu; her voice was hard and cold, her eyes a steely gray.

"Why, Faith! How can you say that to your master?" Isamu's eyes gleamed now, and his voice held a menacing tone.

"Because everyone--including you, Isamu--knows it's the truth," said 2 very familiar voices in unison.

Isamu was shocked as he turned around and saw--who could it be but--Julie and Marie! Their hair was a mess, their clothes tattered, and their bodies marked from the chains--but they were none the worse for wear.

At the same time, Édith and her search party came running down the end of the corridor from the opposite direction. They skidded to a stop before Isamu.

"What the--?" Isamu was nonplussed at first--but then his voice grew louder in anger. "How the heck did _you _idiots get in?!"

Julie and Marie seized their opportunity and freed Faith. After making sure Isamu was still distracted, they quietly stole down the rest of the hallway. Once out of sight and out of earshot of their awful family head, they took off at a run through the rest of the maze-like mansion down to the ground level floor and saw an open window next to the impassable 'front door' (which was really a huge block of wood made to intentionally fool anyone foolish enough to try to run away from Isamu in his own mansion). They realized that Édith and her search party had come in through that window; so the 3 Wilsons made their way out the same way, carefully inserting a sturdy, supple stick in between the latch and the window to hold it open for their rescuers. Then they made their way home.

* * *

Once the search party saw that Julie, Marie, and Faith were safely out of Isamu's reach, they turned tail and also ran away from Isamu, making their way down the 10 lower floors of Isamu's mansion to the window they'd gotten in by, propped up by the stick. After hurriedly making their way out, they removed the stick and shut the window, and everyone walked to the Wilsons' home.

"I'm glad that the Wilsons were all right, though." Yuki shivered. "If we hadn't managed to get in there on time..."

"Julie, Marie, and Faith would never have gotten free," Tohru finished for him.

"What's wrong with that Isamu guy, do you think?" Kyo asked as everyone fell silent. "Is he...mad? As in crazy? Or is it something else?"

Everyone thought about this for a minute.

"Well, it's true that Isamu has anger management problems," Édith said slowly, contemplatively, trying to figure out the best way to tell the others what Isamu's _real _problem was.

"My, my, my. If it isn't Édith Wilson and Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru-san!" Akito lightly remarked, coming out from behind a tree.

"Akito...?" Yuki and Kyo were puzzled. There was something wrong--Akito's voice was _too _excited, his eyes _too _bright for him to actually be happy.

"Yes? What is it, head of the Sohma family?" Édith asked coolly. (She's tough for a primary school student!)

Akito's smile widened. "I just came to remind Tohru-san of her appointment with me tomorrow. She musn't forget about it; everyone's been expecting her for weeks."

"No," someone growled from behind Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru. "I won't allow it." Everyone turned to see--Faith!!

"Oh?" Akito turned his head to one side, smiling all the more. "You dare to defy _me_?"

"Yes, she does," someone else said from behind Akito. "And I also dare to defy you, you arrogant piece of dirt."

Suddenly, a foggy mist appeared, sheltering everyone except Akito in it. The sky darkened and storm clouds gathered over everyone until they were shrouded in darkness from the sheer vastness of the clouds.

"Oh no. Everyone, cover your eyes. Do it. Now!" Faith ordered firmly but not unkindly.

They did as they were told. Once she was sure no one was peeking, Faith flew up to the teen causing the storm.

"Youta...what are you doing here? I thought you'd gone forever."

"Eh, something drew me here." The teen glanced sideways at Faith for a moment before continuing, "I...I'd heard about you and your best friends moving here in Japan, so I went to check and make sure. Never thought you'd leave America, but I guess it was all for the greater good in the end...." He trailed off.

After a few moments of silence, Faith smiled and asked, "So I see you don't take very kindly to Akito-san?"

"Who's _he_? **_Oh..._**that person who thought he was so high and mighty," Youta scorned in disgust. "Can't believe he actually said those things to you. You, who have never done anything wrong in your--" He broke off suddenly and turned from Faith, blushing a crimson red.

Faith laid a hand on Youta's shoulder. "I think you can stop the storm now," she gently reminded him.

He blushed again. "Oh. Right." He draw his hands back above his head; the clouds retreated, and the sky brightened.

They flew back down to ground level just as the others were rubbing their eyes, wondering what'd suddenly happened to make the storm disappear.

"So, d'you still insist that this...eh, Tohru-san go visit you tomorrow? From what Faith here tells me, she never agreed to go to your little fortress," Youta coldly stated.

"N-no!! It's quite all right! She doesn't have to come _anytime _soon!" Akito laughed nervously. Then he darted off into the shadows. Everyone heard the undergrowth crackling as he hurried away as quickly as he could; then there was an uncomfortable silence.

"Anyway...thank you for protecting Honda-san," Yuki said quietly.

"Yeah," Kyo agreed (For once!). "We can't tell you how grateful we are for saving her from that awful guy."

"Who, this Akito-san person?" Youta asked, spitting the name out contemptuously.

"Who else?" Yuki replied. He and Kyo turned, bringing Tohru along with them. They stopped mid-step. Yuki turned around and asked, "What's your name, anyway?"

Youta smiled kindly. "It's Kouki Wilson. Everyone calls me Youta, though."

"Why?" Kyo whispered. He felt like if he said it any louder the world would explode, for some reason.

"It describes me better," Youta said shortly, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw set. There was another awkward silence.

"Anyway, we should all be getting home now," Faith remarked, hoping the others would take the hint.

"Yeah." Yuki and Kyo brought Tohru home with them while Faith and Youta walked to her house, talking.

"How are things going?" Faith asked shyly. "I mean with Mom and Dad."

Youta pondered the question for several seconds. "Eh, they're so-so. Not great, but not horrible either. In between."

Faith's voice got so quiet that Youta, standing a few centimeters away from her, had to strain his in-perfect-hearing-condition ears to hear her: "Do they still hate me?"

"Huh? Why would you ask that? They never hated you. All it was was that they just couldn't handle our two conflicting personalities. So when you ended up going, things got a _lot _quieter at home. Though we're _still_ not used to one member of the family being gone. It's just not the same, Faith. We--ah. Is this the place?"

Faith had stopped in front of her house. "This is the place," she said softly.

"Well, I guess I'll be going now. Mom and Dad told me not to stay past nightfall anyway, so see ya, Faith!" As he flew off, he waved down at Faith and shouted, "Tell Julie, Marie, and Joe I said hi!!"

"OK!!" Faith happily shouted back. Once he was out of sight, she entered the house. There was no sign of anyone else being there--the lights were all off and the shutters closed tightly. Her skin prickling, Faith called, "Julie! Marie! Joe!! Where are you?!"

Silence.

"Stop playing games with me! I know you're there!" she shouted, starting to panic.

More silence.

Suddenly the door to the guest bedroom creaked open, on its own! Startled, Faith peeked into the room. There were Julie, Marie, and Joe!! But they didn't look alive at all. In fact, as Faith saw them floating around in a huge, luminescent green tank, seeing their wide-open mouths, their eyes shut as if sleeping, and their nonresponsive bodies whenever they lightly _thump_ed against the tank walls, she thought, _Is it just me...or are they **dead?**_

*

Yeah, this chapter was shorter to compensate for the honkin' long 3rd chapter. ^_^; Anyway, thank you for reading thus far! May I ask you to review, please? I desperately need some on this piece. :(

So, I'll try to make Chapter 5 average length! :D

* * *

**Youta: **Hehe, you guys have any idea what Elemental I am yet? Technically you _should _be able to tell from the various clues the author gave you. 1) During our walk to her home, Faith and I talk about how--

**Me: **Be quiet. You don't want to give away the surprise, do you?

**Faith: **Well...

**Me: **Anyway, the Elementals do have powers according to their elements. And Youta and Faith understand each other so well, they can read each other's minds. Also--

**Faith and Youta: **Shh!! Don't spoil the surprise!


	5. Death and Arrival

Hello, my friends. It's time for Chapter 5 of the Guardians Elemental to be ushered onstage!! :D

**Disclaimer: I hope you get the point already, but I don't own Fruits Basket and never will. Yeah. So please just leave me be...**

Anyway, time for the story to get started! :) (Also, please review if you've read thus far but haven't reviewed yet. It breaks my heart...) :(

*

****_Suddenly the door to the guest bedroom creaked open, on its own! Startled, Faith peeked into the room. There were Julie, Marie, and Joe!! But they didn't look alive at all. In fact, as Faith saw them floating around in a huge, luminescent green tank, seeing their wide-open mouths, their eyes shut as if sleeping, and their nonresponsive bodies whenever they lightly thumped against the tank walls, she thought,_ **Is it just me...or are they** **_dead?_******

Faith entered panic mode and fell to her knees. _No! It can't be! Please tell me that they're not dead!!_ Suddenly the door slammed shut. Faith turned to see Isamu, glaring daggers at her, standing in front of the door. He locked it, smirked, and walked up to Faith.

"So you thought you could escape my burning wrath, eh?" he snarled, slapping her across the face. She did not resist, but kept herself from falling flat on her face.

"You've only made the lives of your fellow friends worse now, Faith. Soon Yuki-kun, Kyo-kun, and that absolute idiot Tohru-san will also be floating around in that tank," Isamu told her, shoving her down on the hardwood floor when she tried to stand up.

Blood. As Faith felt it rising up in her mouth, she bit it down and hoarsely asked, "Why did you lock us up in the first place though? We'd done nothing wrong."

"HA!" Isamu shrieked insanely, foaming at the mouth as he pointed down at her, lying on her back on the cold, uncomfortable floor. "_You'd done nothing wrong?! _What kind of fool's talk is that, idiot?! You perverse woman! How dare you talk back to **_ME_**, anyhow?!! Useless girl!! From now on..." All of a sudden Isamu became extremely calm. He leaned down very close to Faith's face and whispered, "_From now on...you will be my slave and serve me. You will never leave or desert me; you can never resist me in any way possible; and you may not even **think **of escaping my fury!! Your friends will be saved now, as an act of pity from my merciful hands. But do not hope for your own escape. **IT WILL NOT HAPPEN!!!!!**_" He dragged his sharp nails across her right cheek, smiling at the blood that came up from the scars, and savored her shocked expression as she gazed, with lightless eyes, up at him.

"How...how are they still alive?" she asked. Her heart thumped wildly and she was sure she was hyperventilating, but she had to ask about her family.

"Who? Oh...you mean _them._" Isamu gave a nasty little laugh and cradled her head in his grimy hands. "My research team has discovered a special property about us Guardian Elementals. We knocked them out and put them in that tank. Miraculous that they still live, eh? But not for long. Only for...at this point, about another 5 hours." Seeing Faith's disgusted expression, Isamu chuckled. "Don't worry; we'll let them go to their absolute limit and then save them. But as for _you_--" Isamu tilted his head to one side, considering something. "I changed my mind," he said abruptly. "We'll dunk _you _in there also, but when you've reached _your_ limit--" There was a dramatic pause as Isamu and Faith glared at each other with about as much hatred each could muster.

"_We'll let you die._" The words hit Faith like the force of a million bricks, and even before Isamu slammed her head down at 50 miles per hour on the cold wood floor, immediately dulling all her senses, she blacked out.

* * *

"What's this...?" Yuki asked listlessly in bed that night. Then he sat bolt upright, remembering his vision. He jumped out of bed and knocked down the door to Kyo's room frantically without realizing what he'd done.

"Ah, what the heck is it, stupid Rat, at 3 in the morning...?" Kyo trailed off, mumbling dark curses before he fell back asleep.

Yuki suddenly grew furious, so angry at Kyo that his previous arguments with him made them both seem like they'd been angels at those times. Yuki grabbed Kyo's collar and drew him 2 centimeters from his face.

"Listen up, idiotic Cat. Here's the reason I woke you up at 3 in the morning: The Wilsons are in _extremely _grave trouble. _If we don't save them, they're all going to die._"

Kyo's eyes widened. Julie, the tough jokester...Marie, the creepy but protective goth girl...Faith, the purest girl in the world next to Tohru..._gone?_

"Let's go. Right now!" Kyo panicked, realizing how much time they'd wasted arguing with each other. He dragged his worst enemy along with him past the forest...over the hill...across the street...through the open front door....

They skidded to a stop just in front of the door to the guest bedroom and held their breaths, watching. Isamu was carefully lifting Julie, Marie, and Joe out of the green tank, setting them down on the bed.

Yuki blinked. _The bed didn't even get one drop of water on it!!_

Kyo was worried. _Where the heck is Faith?! If that Isamu guy--oh no. NO!!! **FAITH!!!!!!!!!**_

He didn't realize he'd shouted his last thoughts as he burst into the room, Yuki following right behind him.

"WHAT THE HECK DID YOU DO TO HER?!!" Kyo yelled as he knocked Faith out of Isamu's hands and checked her heartbeat. _Whew...she's all right._

Yuki took the opportunity to carefully take out the other 3 Wilsons and gently guide them to the Sohma residence. They sleptwalk their way from the vegetable garden to Shigure's house. After making sure they'd be OK, Yuki turned back and sprinted as if his life was in the gravest danger back to the Wilsons' house.

Faith had returned to consciousness from all the yelling and fighting going on; she glanced up and sighed in relief as Yuki silently slipped into the room, unnoticed by the warring two men. He led her to his house where the others were, also awake at that time. Then he made his way back again to find Isamu suffocating in some lime green, plasma-like gelatin _stuff _in the tank, while Kyo stood silently on the sidelines, watching.

"What happened?" Yuki whispered in shock.

"The idiot! He showed me the method that his special 'Research Team' used for the Elementals, not realizing that someone had apparently flicked the switch from 'water' to 'plasma'." Kyo showed Yuki the switch on the right edge of the tank, both of them ignoring the now-panicking Isamu, frantically waving his arms to try to get to the surface of the plasma.

"Just admit that you've killed him, Kyo," Yuki said in disgust, watching Isamu's face change from bright red to blue to purple to deepest black.

"No! It wasn't me; I swear!" Kyo protested. Yuki scrutinized him, but knew he wasn't lying. That could mean only one thing....

* * *

The Wilsons and Tohru sat in shock the following morning at the lunch table as Yuki and Kyo explained Isamu's death to them.

"Whoa. Are you sure about that?" Julie asked suspiciously, eying the two of them. "There's no way _Isamu _would just give up and die like that."

"And besides...even if Isamu _was _dead, wouldn't we have felt it? Wouldn't we have cried in relief, all together like that, and all be satisfied with our life right then and there?" Marie added, also not believing the two boys.

Tohru was extremely surprised. "The Wilsons' cruel family head is _dead?_" she asked in a tone of voice that showed she didn't believe it at all.

Faith remained silent and looked anywhere but at the others; Yuki and Kyo exchanged a darkly significant glance, then cleared their throats.

"Anyway...you two _do _have a point, but we saw it for ourselves. Actually, it's amazing we're supporting each other's words at all--"

"Seeing as we're total enemies," Kyo finished for Yuki.

Everyone fell silent.

"Somehow...somehow I don't believe it. I just can't," Julie finally said, flatly.

"There would be no more cruelty in the world if Isamu had died; that's how much of an impact his death would have on the world," Marie commented dryly.

"The thing is, he's still alive. We Wilsons can feel it, in our blood, our hearts," Faith spoke up at last. "We just might not be able to _see_ him."

"Mm...well, give us a shout if ya hear anything new 'bout him, 'K?" Kyo asked as he, Yuki, and Tohru left the table without waiting for a response.

The Wilson Trio glanced quickly at each other before they followed suit and left the cafeteria, headed to their lockers.

* * *

Later that day, last period got out from school and the Wilson Trio walked home with Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru. Everyone was silent and they did not talk with each other.

Finally, Tohru broke the silence. "Um...I was wondering if the Wilsons wanted to come over to our house today after school! Can you? Is it all right with Isa--oh. That's right. Well, ask Joe-san for me, will you? If you can come over for a little bit."

"Yeah, OK. Thanks," Julie replied. Then the Wilson Trio turned to the others and waved in farewell. "I guess we part here for now."

Once they left, Yuki, Kyo, and Tohru walked back to _their _home and avoided talking about the matters of Isamu's supposed death.

Instead, they carefully discussed school matters and upcoming special events. (No, you can't hear about those yet.)

Just then, Shigure entered the house and brightly ushered in the Wilson Trio and Joe, shouting happily like a maniac, "Enter the Wilson kids and their guardian!!"

There was shocked silence.

Then everyone burst out laughing; the dark, looming atmosphere vanished, and all joked and talked openly as if they'd been friends since birth.

But in the midst of it all, Isamu stood on the kitchen countertop, exactly 1.5 centimeters tall. Everyone acted as if they were completely ignoring him, but he knew that it was only because he was so tiny. He racked his brains, trying to remember who'd flicked the switch from water to plasma. Suddenly he remembered. And his eyes burned with hatred for that person--_they would pay._

_

* * *

_

After several hours of fun and games, the Wilsons went back to their home to eat dinner.

"Hey Joe," Julie spoke up in the uncomfortable silence. "Those two boys--Prince and Hothead--they told us today, at lunch, that Isamu was dead. You believe it?"

"No," he answered quietly but firmly. "If Isamu was dead, then our curse would definitely be gone, no? Yet it remains. It still flows through our veins. You can feel it, can't you? Because I know mine's still in there." Joe laid a hand on his heart for the slightest moment.

"True," Faith responded, looking down at her shoes. "And there are _many _other points that don't add up if we consider Isamu dead."

"That's right, Faith," Marie kindly agreed. "For instance, take that situation only a few years a--"

"HEE_-YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH__!!!!!"_ The wide-open double doors slammed down on the hardwood floor--breaking all that fine glass--as a girl with spiky, jet-black hair jumped in front of them. Her eyes reflected the lights of millions of stars of the night sky along with other objects in it. She was dressed in tight black jeans and a deepest black bodice over a dark brown blouse. Smirking at everyone else in the room, particularly Marie, the newcomer sneered in a shrioll, high-pitched voice, "Looks like you haven't changed one bit, Marie!"

"Neither have you, Anastasia," Marie replied calmly.

"Ha! You think that everything's OK now, don't you?" Anastasia mocked her. "You can just sit back and relax now, can't you? Is that whatcha think? _ANSWER ME!!!!!!!_"

"Well, first things first--settle down a little," Marie stated without even flinching at Anastasia's fist flying towards her face. "You'll have a bad reputation with the neighbors if this keeps up. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Yuki and Kyo Sohma and Tohru Honda turned up at our front door right now, seeing what the matter was."

"Who the heck are _those _people?! Oh." Anastasia grinned, entering pure-diabolicalness-mode. (PDM) "I get it. They're those idiots that were in those stupid comic books you guys absolutely _adored_, right? Those idiot pieces of dirt that you cared for more than your own family head!!"

"So what?" Julie butted in. "You were always treated the worst out of any of us just because you're not in the Elementals, technically speaking."

At this Anastasia burst with anger. She stomped over to Julie, yelling, "SO WHAT IF I'M THE OUTSIDER ELEMENT?! I CARED MORE FOR ISAMU THAN YOU GUYS EVER HAVE OR EVER WILL!!! AND NOW THAT HE'S DEAD, YOU GUYS SIT THERE, LAUGHING AND TALKING AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED AT ALL! I CAN'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT! EVEN THOUGH I'M THE FAMILY 'DISGRACE', THAT DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE NO WORTH! ISAMU _HIMSELF _SAID IT! DIDN'T HE?" Anastasia stood in front of Julie, gasping for breath.

"Shut up. Your extremely loud voice is seriously annoying me," Faith growled at Anastasia. "Isamu may have favored you just because you _acted_ like his little slave, doing this and that for him, obeying every single thing he ordered you to do, not caring if you disgraced the family, not caring if you hurt your own family, _NOT CARING IF YOU ACTED LIKE A STUPID LITTLE BRAT IN FRONT OF EVERYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD AND HUMILIATED EVERYONE EXCEPT ISAMU HIMSELF!! **YOU EVEN DOWNGRADED YOURSELF IF ISAMU EVEN HINTED AT YOUR DOING IT FOR HIM!!!!! AND YET YOU SAY IT'S **_OUR **_FAULT?!! YOU COMPLETE IDIOT!_**" Faith screamed at the taken-aback Anastasia. Everyone stared at the two of them (including the Sohmas, who'd heard the shouts and had their faces pressed against the glass of the front door) as Faith turned away. "Sorry about that. I lost it for a moment there." At the foot of the stairs, she turned towards Anastasia. "And _you_, you filthy piece of dirt who doesn't deserve to live at all--you better stay away from me for the next several weeks," Faith snarled. "Or I just might explode at you all over again."

She stomped up the stairs to her room as Anastasia bit back her tears. All she was trying to do was to get them to feel some _pain_ now that Isamu was dead!

Suddenly, she noticed the Sohmas and Tohru staring, mouths wide open, directly at her. She froze.

"Oh! Hey, guys! C'mon in!" Julie tried her best to sound cheerful and welcoming, but she noticed their friends cautiously inching in, afraid to make the slightest sound.

"Whew! Faith really lost it there," Kyo remarked.

"So you _did _see," Marie responded.

"I wonder...is Faith-san all right?" Yuki asked worriedly.

"Yes, we'd been wondering, because she seemed depressed all day today," Tohru added.

So, everyone tromped up the stairs to Faith's room to find the door shut and locked. They pounded on it, yelling, "Faith! Let us in!!"

But when the door finally _did _open, there was no sign of Faith. Instead, a young boy with brown hair everyone immediately recognized silently pointed towards the open window. Faith was gone...

*

So, that's that! :D Yeah, this was also an intense chapter. But actually average length this time. (For me, average length is about 2,900 words.) Thank you for reading this far! Anyway...LightningStar, I'll PM you my response to your 2nd review. :) I'll just take my time to torture you...:P. By the way, anyone have any idea who the 'young boy with brown hair' is? Yup, my next question of the day. Haha. ;D

* * *

**Me: **Ahem. As I was _trying _to say before I got interrupted, Faith and Youta can sometimes even switch places with each other. They morph into each other's bodies, and their personalities, thoughts, etc. totally flip. Yup. So I hope that explains Faith's sudden mood changes more. Yeah, that's how close to each other they are.

**Faith and Youta: **You just _had _to tell them, huh?

**Me: **Well, yeah. Of course! I've already kept them in the dark on Youta's Elemental; might as well reveal a few things as we go along, no? Anyway...bye for now, and I really hope you all enjoyed! :D


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